EA Sports Active 30 day Challenge - Day 10

Well its day 10 of the 30 day challenge and to say its not going well is an understatement! (To the very nice lady who sent this to me, sorry I'm being a pants reviewer!!)


Now its the not the exercise program that is the problem its me and OH. We did day 1 fine, then got lazy by day 2 (terrible I know) Day 3 was a rest day (The programme schedules rest days) and now I have hurt my back as you know!


I am in a lot of pain and I'm really annoyed that the challenge is on hold as It looked really good and could see it working for us. I'm off to the osteopath tomorrow so hopefully he will sort it out for me and I can get back on track.

Before I start it again I do need to get a sports bra, you full on run so I need the support!

Hopefully my day 20 update will be much more exciting for you!

OK hobbling off to get more painkillers

NM X

What Have I Started???

Today me and OH started our 30 day EA Sports Challenge on the Wii!!

OMG!! I'm soo going to hurt tomorrow!

It is a proper full on workout!

I have a personal trainer (I choose the man!!), you set up all your details age, weight, height etc and it tailors the workout for you.

It works out how many calories you've work off!!! Though it doesn't tell you how many chocolate bars that equates to!

This is part of a review, though I'm not going to bore you everyday with this (my general life does that!!) I will give you an update at day 10, 20 and 30, that is if we last that long!

Right off to finish setting up my new blog, it launches Monday!!

NM x

Review - Ella Announcements

Recently I was given the chance to review Ella Announcements.

Who and what is Ella Announcements I hear you shout?? Well I shall tell you

Ella Announcement is a website that specialises in unique announcement cards, gifts, stationary and business design.

They can supply you will photocard, wedding stationary, birth announcements, thank you cards, logo and web designs! And many more!

Everything thing is design to your specifications

Ella Announcements is owned and run by Amanda Farren who in her own words describes her self as a ....Skilled circus performer...Juggles 3 toddlers, Ella Announcements, New Ventures, And life as a wife!

You can find out more about Amanda here

OK so what did I have made from Amanda, well I had some thank you cards designed and made for me.

Now I have not always been into thank you cards, frankly I'm just too lazy to send them!! But when BG was born she was bought such lovely gifts I thought I'd better send thank you cards and now I'm a little obsessed with them. However the choices of cards out there are pants! So when I found this site and was given the chance to have them designed to my spec I was in heaven!

Would you like to see the cards???

Of course you would! See below

I had them done to say thank you for my birthday presents, but I have few left over so they will be used after Christmas as well!!

My family and friends loved them, my nan rang me to say thank you for the thank you card!! It was so sweet! I will definitely be ordering cards for BG's birthday party! and hoping she will be doing Christmas cards (hint hint)

Now as I mentioned Ella Announcements provides business designs such as logo's and web designs, Amanda is offering 10% discount to WHAM'S see here for more details

And if raising 3 children, a husband and Ella Announcements wasn't enough Amanda also organises baby fairs!!! Check out the Baby Fair site for more info

So if you are looking for unique gifts, cards, stationary or business design defiantly check out Ella Annoucements you will not only get good quality, individual designs but at a reasonable price!

What more could you want?

NM x

Review - Annabel Karmel Pasta Stars

Happy Monday! This weeks review is Annabel Karmel's Organic Gluten Free Pasta Stars (which are also free from dairy, egg and wheat!)

So surprise surprise I'm a fan of Annabel Karmel (hey if you got offered the chance to review products from brands you loved you'd jump at the chance!!) I have two of her books and use them to help me plan BG's meals

Anyway we tried this pasta last week, this was the first time BG had had pasta. Now my problem is that I take instructions really seriously and don't use my common sense!

The instructions say to allow 20g per portion per child, so I weighed out 20g which looked like a lot for BG but that's what the instructions say so that's how much I cooked.

So I boiled the water in a saucepan, put in my pasta and left it simmer for 5 mins as per instructions (it does say to adjust cooking time) Now remember this is the first time I've cooked pasta for BG

I checked the pasta and it was soft, however this is were it goes wrong because I didn't have my Mummy head on so the pasta was soft for me but not quite BF soft (Duhh)

I decided even though Annabel Karmel does have some yummy recipes for pasta sauce that I would just add the pasta to some of her favourite veg purree so not to overload with too many new tastes and textures

Can you already see where this is going? So I cooked far too much pasta and it wasn't quite soft enough! BG just spat the pieces of pasta at me!! disaster so I got her something else to eat!

I tried the pasta again today for lunch, this time a did a smaller portion for BG and made sure it was super soft and she loved it especially now her bottom teeth have finally cut through (yay!!)

So my advice would be when buying this pasta is to use adjust your portion size depending on your child (not like me and cook too much)

This pasta is available from Tesco's and Waitrose and is suitable from 7 months, Pasta Shells and Alpabet shapes are also available

Would I buy this pasta, yes! You can get 12 meals from a bag (more if you are doing smaller portions like me) f

Next time I cook the pasta I will be trying one of Annabel pasta sauce recipes which you can find here

OK off to deal with screaming BG she's dropped purple hippo!

NM x

Review - Jo Whiley - My World In Motion

When the opportunity arose for me to review this book I didn’t jump at the chance because Jo Whiley is a working mum of 4 (though that is impressive I can just about cope with one!) It was because I happen to be a huge fan of her and listen to her Radio 1 show most days (I’m not too old to listen to Radio 1 before you all start) I love the Live Lounge!

I have a huge passion for music especially live music which I got from my dad, as did Jo Whiley (though that is were the similarities end!!) I’m a little bit envious of Jo, not her life and lifestyle ! Don’t get me wrong I love my life most of the time! But her job, the opportunity to meet so many bands and artists and to be there to witness history being made, I WANT HER JOB!! Sorry babbling on.

So you probably thinking this will be a biased review well not so. As I said I jumped at the chance to read her book, then as I waited for it arrive I started to worry, what if its terrible? What if its like recent biographies full of “look at me don’t I know a lot of famous people” stories and filled out with pictures? What if a truly hated it and had to write a bad review? I started to dread the book arriving!

Even worse when it turned up it looked quite small, only 205 pages! I thought to my self that’s not a big book!

Anyway I finally found a chance this weekend to read it, OH looked after baby and with Glastonbury (With Jo Whiley) and the Tennis in the background I settled down to read it!

Within in the first page and a half I was in tears, not because it was a bad book but because the story was a incredibly emotive and heart wrenching. Throughout the book I was in tears then in fits of laughter sometimes both at the same time (There is a story about Princess Diane I won’t give it away).

As I already told you I’m a fan of Jo’s work but I didn’t know much about her, this autobiography gave me all I needed to know, no more no less. She speaks of her childhood with her parents and sister who has disabilities with nothing but pride and true undying love for them.

She plots her early life and her career interspersed with play lists for that time in her life. She shares some great stories about the bands and artists she’s met and the things they got up to but not too many that you want to shout “yeah yeah that’s enough now”.

Now there are some photographs but just the right amount, not too many that you think they are there to pad the book out

She talks about her love and passion for music and radio and the special bond she has with Glastonbury . She talks with deep love of her family especially her 4 children and her husband (whom she fell in love with at first sight!)

When I finished this book I was not disappointed as I feared, it’s a great balance of her early years, music, family , her career and great anecdotes about the musicians she has met. I really want to tell you some of the stories but I want you to read it for yourselves. I want you to understand where the title from the book comes from (very sweet by the way)

What you get from this autobiography is the passion she has for her family and radio. She describes her self as “Almost Famous” and that’s were she is happy being, not in the limelight, she still not entirely comfortable in front of a camera after all these years (she’s been in radio and TV for 20 yrs)

So if you’re looking for a good book this summer for around the pool (paddling), to read in garden, to try and read why the kids are driving you insane then give this ones ago. Its interesting, funny, emotive and will leave a little bit jealous of her!

Just need to work out what I'm going to read next mmmm lots of blogs to catch up on!

NM x

Review: Sophie4Sophie Dress

Welcome to my first review!! I apologise now to the parents with boys its a girly review!

I have been coveting one of these dresses for weeks umming and ahhing weather BG needed another dress (She has about 20 brought by Grandad), then I was given the opportunity to have for one for a review I jumped at the chance!

So who are Sophie4Sophie?, official bio coming up....

(I know its cheating, but I couldn't have written it better!)

What is a Sophie4Sophie dress I hear you ask, well its a fully reversible dress that later becomes a tunic as your child gets older. The dress fits from about 9months to 3yrs!

All dresses are handmade with limited edition fabrics so its unlikey another little girl will be wearing the same dress. BG dress has spots on one side and skull and roses on the other (appeals to my rocker side) and is very very cool!

Now BG is 6 1/2 months so hers was a little large on her but not too big as we know shes a BFB, would you like to see my cute little bug is the dress? I thought so!!

Now she has only worn the spotty side so far we have a birthday party coming up where I want to show off the other side

BG wore her dress to baby group as they were having a teddy bears picnic, so I decided to dress her up. The dress was so easy to put on, which sounds like a stupid thing to point out by I find some dresses really awkward to put on! This dress has no buttons or fiddly bits, fantastic with a wriggly baby. So once I choose what side to wear we were off

Now as you know BG has started to roll, this dress didn't restrict her at all it allowed her to move and roll around. BG was laos having a very dribbly day and before I got a chance to get a bib on she had soaked the front of the dress, I did worry this would leave a mark or make her chest damp but its dried really quickly and there was no mark once it had!!

This dress stands out in a crowd!! I had loads of people ask where I had got it from, we also had a group pic taken for the local paper and BGs spotty dress pops!

These dress are all handmade will love and kisses (so the labels say) and you can tell it has been. It well constructed the fabrics are funky but soft and comfortable. It washed really well no skrinking or colour run. It dries really quickly and really doesn't need ironing.

Its the little things that makes this dress just a little bit special and thoughtful. There is a little pocket for the tag to hide so its not on show whatever side is worn. My favourite little touch is the tag its self (yes I'm a little sad!), next to the ironing symbol it say:

Cool Iron (That's if you do. I don't)!!!!! (love it)

Would I buy another dress, yes, yes, yes (if I could get one in my size I would)!

My dad loved it so much (Guess which side) that he's offered to buy her some more (She is very very spoiled)

So I guess you want to know where you can get them from?? Well I shall tell you

They are currently sold on two websites Juicytots and The Hedgepig both have different patterns so have a look or you can contact Natalie her self through twitter soph4soph

The only have on issue with the dress, choosing what side for BG to wear!!

NM x